Objective:To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with Castleman disease (CD).Methods:A retrospective case-series study was conducted. A total of 85 patients newly diagnosed with CD in the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University between July 2007 and August 2024 were collected. Their clinical characteristics and prognostic factors were analyzed.Results:Among the 85 patients, 45 had unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) and 40 had multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). In the UCD group, females were more commonly affected (64.4%, 29/45), with a median age of onset of 39 years. The primary lesions were mainly located in the retroperitoneum, neck, abdomen, and axilla; and the hyaline vascular subtype was the predominant pathological type (69.4%, 25/36). In the MCD group, males were more frequently affected (62.5%, 25/40), with a median age of onset of 50 years; and the plasmacytic subtype was the main pathological type (68.2%, 15/22). Compared with UCD patients, MCD patients presented more systemic symptoms and signs [85.0% (34/40) vs. 13.3% (6/45), χ2 = 43.66, P < 0.001], splenomegaly [42.5% (17/40) vs. 2.2% (1/45), χ2 = 20.58, P < 0.001], hepatomegaly [25.0% (10/40) vs. 0 (0/45), χ2 = 10.46, P = 0.001], edema or effusion in serous cavity [67.5% (27/40) vs. 8.9%(4/45), χ2 = 31.40, P < 0.001], hematological system involvement [32.5% (13/40) vs. 0 (0/44), χ2 = 16.92, P < 0.001], and renal involvement [22.5% (9/40) vs. 2.3%(1/44), χ2 = 6.36, P = 0.012]. Laboratory findings showed that the levels of hemoglobin and albumin in MCD patients were lower than those in UCD patients, while white blood cell count in MCD patients was higher than that in UCD patients. Additionally, MCD patients exhibited elevated levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, vascular endothelial growth factor, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and ferritin compared to UCD patients (all P < 0.05). Among UCD patients, 40 cases underwent simple surgical resection, with no deaths during follow-up and the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of 100.0%; among MCD patients, 34 cases received chemotherapy, 4 received siltuximab, 3 died during follow-up with a 5-year OS rate of 87.5%; and there was no statistically significant difference in OS between the MCD and UCD groups ( χ2 = 3.67, P = 0.055). Among MCD patients, the OS of those with renal involvement (9 cases) was worse than that of those without renal involvement (31 cases) ( χ2 = 8.39, P = 0.004). Conclusions:CD is a highly heterogeneous disorder. Surgical resection is the primary treatment for UCD, with a favorable prognosis. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for MCD, with a relatively poor prognosis.

Objective:To evaluate the utility of pulse oximetry-derived parameters—specifically, the pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveform area under the curve (POP AUC) and the peripheral perfusion index (PPI)—in assessing disease severity and predicting prognosis in patients with sepsis. Methods:In this prospective descriptive study, 68 patients with sepsis were categorized based on illness severity into septic shock and non-shock groups, and by 28-day outcome into survival and non-survival groups. POP AUC, PPI, and lactate (Lac) levels were recorded at 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after admission. APACHEⅡ and SOFA scores were calculated within the first 24 hours. The prognostic value of these parameters was evaluated. Results:Significant differences were observed between the septic shock and non-shock groups in POP AUC, PPI, Lac (all P < 0.05 except at 96 h), APACHEⅡ, and SOFA scores (all P < 0.05). These differences were most pronounced at admission: POP AUC0 (2475.1 ± 899.0) vs. (4260.3 ± 1028.5), PPI 0 (0.78 ± 0.74) vs. (3.13 ± 2.18), Lac 0 (4.95 ± 4.32) vs. (2.07 ± 1.55), APACHE Ⅱ (16.78 ± 5.59) vs. 11.82 ± 4.89), and SOFA (8.89 ± 3.25) vs. (5.06 ± 2.60). Optimal prognostic cut-off values were 2741.43 for POP AUC, 0.97 for PPI, 2.05 for Lac, 12.5 for APACHEⅡ, and 5.5 for SOFA. ROC curve analysis showed that at 24 hours, POP AUC and PPI had significantly larger AUC values than Lac ( P < 0.05), while no significant differences were found among other parameters. Significant differences between non-survivors and survivors were also found in POP AUC, PPI (at 0, 24, and 48 h), APACHE II, and SOFA (all P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in PPI (72 h and 96 h) or Lac between the two outcome groups. Conclusions:POP AUC and PPI, as derived from pulse oximetry, are non-inferior to Lac, SOFA, and APACHEⅡ scores in evaluating disease severity and predicting 28-day mortality in sepsis patients. These parameters show promise as practical and non-invasive tools for clinical assessment in sepsis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the diagnostic accuracy and grading capability of ultrasound-derived fat fraction （UDFF）， controlled attenuation parameter （CAP）， and hepatic/renal ratio （HRR） in assessing hepatic steatosis in metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） with magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction （MRI-PDFF） as the gold standard. MethodsA total of 150 patients with MAFLD who attended The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2023 to December 2024 were enrolled， and 148 healthy volunteers were recruited. All subjects underwent MRI-PDFF， UDFF， CAP， and HRR examinations. Hepatic steatosis was graded based on MRI-PDFF （S0：148 cases； S1：92 cases； S2：21 cases； S3：37 cases）， and the MAFLD patients with different grades of hepatic steatosis were compared in terms of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and clinical features. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups and the Tukey HSD test was used for further comparision between two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in different grades of MAFLD； the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to investigate the efficacy of UDFF， CAP， and HRR in the diagnosis of different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD； the Bland-Altman difference plot was used to analyze the consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ResultsUDFF measurement gradually increased with the increase in the grade of fatty liver （H=201.52，P0.001）. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a strong correlation between any two indicators of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in S1， S2， and S3 MAFLD （all P0.001）， with the strongest correlation between UDFF and MRI-PDFF （r_s1=0.884，r_s2=0.962，r_s3=0.929， all P0.001）. The ROC curve analysis showed that UDFF had a larger area under the ROC curve （AUC） than CAP and HRR in the graded diagnosis of S1 and S3 （all P0.05）， while in the diagnosis of S2 MAFLD， UDFF had a significantly larger AUC than HRR （P0.05） and a similar AUC to CAP （P0.05）. The Bland-Altman difference plot showed good consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ConclusionCompared with CAP and HRR， UDFF can accurately measure liver fat content and has good efficacy in identifying varying degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD.

Objective To observe the value of machine learning(ML)models based on quantitative ultrasound(QUS)and clinical indexes for predicting metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods Totally 298 patients underwent abdominal MR and QUS examinations were retrospectively enrolled,including 150 cases with and 148 cases without MAFLD.The patients were divided into training set(including 107 cases of MAFLD and 101 cases of non-MAFLD)and test set(including 43 cases of MAFLD and 47 cases of non-MAFLD)at a ratio of 7∶3.Features were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression and logistic regression(LR),based on which predictive models were constructed using 6 ML classifiers,including Gaussian naive Bayes(GNB),LR,random forest(RF),support vector machine(SVM),extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost)and K-nearest neighbor(KNN),respectively.Then the receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)and the Brier score were calculated to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the models.Results The elevated age,glutamic-pyruvic transaminase(GPT),glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT),uric acid(UA),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),controlled attenuation parameter(CAP),ultrasound-derived fat fraction(UDFF)and shear wave velocity(SWV),as well as blurred liver contour were all independent indicators for higher likelihood of MAFLD(all P＜0.05).The AUC and Brier score of XGBoost model in training set was 0.991 and 0.006,in test set was 0.973 and 0.069,respectively,both higher than those of other models,and decision curve analysis(DCA)indicated that XGBoost model had high net benefit.Conclusion ML models based on QUS and clinical indexes,especially XGBoost model had high efficacy for predicting MAFLD.

Objective To investigate the clinical diagnostic value of plasma RAS association domain family 1A(RASSF1A)gene methylation combined with tumor marker detection in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods A total of 98 NSCLC patients admitted to Qinhuangdao First Hospital from June 2023 to March 2024 were selected as the NSCLC group,and 95 patients who under-went pulmonary examinations during the same period but were not diagnosed with NSCLC were selected as the disease control group.Their general clinical data were collected.The correlations among plasma RASSF1A gene methylation,tumor markers,and clinicopatho-logical features were analyzed.The effects of RASSF1A gene methylation and tumor markers on the diagnosis of NSCLC were analyzed by the multivariate Logistic regression.A predictive model was constructed,and its effectiveness was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve and goodness of fit test.Results There were significant differences(P＜0.05)in smoking history,neu-ron specific enolase(NSE),carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1),and RASSF1A methylation levels between the NSCLC group and non-NSCLC group.There were also significant differences(P＜0.05)in RASSF1A methylation levels,NSE,CEA,and CYFR21-1 levels among NSCLC patients with different clinical characteristics such as tumor diam-eter,differentiation degree,and growth type.The results of multivariate Logistic analysis showed that RASSF1A methylation levels(OR=1.071,95％CI:1.042-1.100),NSE(OR=1.168,95％CI:1.132-1.204),CEA(OR=1.154,95％CI:1.121-1.187),and CYFR21-1(OR=1.089,95％CI:1.023-1.195)were all independent risk factors for the diagnosis of NSCLC.A model predicting the occurrence of NSCLC was constructed using the principal component analysis(PCA)and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA),and the ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the ROC curve(AUCROC),sensitivity,and specificity of the prediction model for the RASSF1A methylation level combined with NSE,CEA,and CYFR21-1 were 0.922(95％CI:0.896-0.948),0.897,and 0.851,respectively,which were higher than those of the RASSF1A methylation level,NSE,CEA,and CYFR21-1 alone.Conclusion The prediction model of plasma RASSF1A gene methylation level combined with tumor markers has high diagnostic value for NSCLC and can be used for the clinical diagnosis of NSCLC.

Objective:To explore differences in the clinical and pathological features and postoperative survival after radical resection of biliary tract cancer in different locations such as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,distal cholangiocarcinoma,and gallbladder cancer.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. The clinical and pathological data of 4 852 patients with biliary tract cancer admitted to the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi ′an Jiaotong University from January 2013 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 2 110(43.49%%) patients were male and 2 742(56.51%) patients were female,aged from 26 to 88 years with age of (61.3±10.8) years. Observation indicators: (1) The distribution,diagnosis and treatment of patients with biliary tract cancer; (2) Comparison of clinical and pathological features of patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection; (3) Survival analysis of patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection; (4) Analysis of effect on adjuvant therapy for patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection. One-way analysis of variance,Kruskal-Wallis H test and χ 2 test were used for among-group comparisons,respectively. Survival univariate analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. Results:Among the 4 852 patients with biliary tract cancer,there were 2 303 cases (47.46%) of gallbladder cancer,952 cases (19.62%) of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,892 cases (18.38%) of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,and 705 cases(14.53%) of distal cholangiocarcinoma. From the perspective of the year of diagnosis and treatment,the overall number of patients diagnosed and treated for biliary tract cancer has shown an upward trend. From the perspective of diagnosis and treatment,the curative-intent resection rate was 33.37%(1 619/4 852),and the curative-intent resection rate of distal cholangiocarcinoma was higher than that of other biliary tract cancer ( χ2=23.897, P<0.01). Univariate analysis showed that there were statistical differences in gender,age,bile duct stones,total bilirubin at admission,carcinoembryonic antigen,CA19-9,CA125,the degree of pathological differentiation,vascular invasion,microvascular invasion,perineural invasion,surgical margins,pT staging,and pN staging among patients for biliary tract cancer in different locations (all P<0.05). Survival comparison analysis showed that recurrence-free survival and overall survival of patients with gallbladder cancer after curative-intent resection were significantly better than those of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,and distal cholangiocarcinoma ( χ 2=87.780,83.717,both P<0.01). Comparing the postoperative prognosis of patients with biliary tract cancer between the two periods of 2013 to 2017 and 2018 to 2022, the results showed that recurrence-free survival and overall survival of patients with biliary tract cancer from 2018 to 2022 were significantly better than those from 2013 to 2017 ( χ 2=31.202,25.615, both P<0.01),and the proportion of early recurrence and short-term death after curative-intent resection was significantly reduced ( χ 2=21.588,9.623, both P<0.01),with gallbladder cancer being the most significant ( P<0.01). Postoperative adjuvant therapy for patients with biliary tract cancer can effectively prolong recurrence-free survival and overall survival ( χ 2=5.033,11.273,both P<0.05). Conclusions:Gallbladder cancer remains the most common biliary tract cancer with a relatively favorable prognosis after radical resection. There are significant differences in the clinical and pathological features of biliary tract cancer in different locations,and patients with adjuvant therapy effectively improving prognosis.

Objective To observe the value of machine learning(ML)models based on quantitative ultrasound(QUS)and clinical indexes for predicting metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods Totally 298 patients underwent abdominal MR and QUS examinations were retrospectively enrolled,including 150 cases with and 148 cases without MAFLD.The patients were divided into training set(including 107 cases of MAFLD and 101 cases of non-MAFLD)and test set(including 43 cases of MAFLD and 47 cases of non-MAFLD)at a ratio of 7∶3.Features were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression and logistic regression(LR),based on which predictive models were constructed using 6 ML classifiers,including Gaussian naive Bayes(GNB),LR,random forest(RF),support vector machine(SVM),extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost)and K-nearest neighbor(KNN),respectively.Then the receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)and the Brier score were calculated to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the models.Results The elevated age,glutamic-pyruvic transaminase(GPT),glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT),uric acid(UA),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),controlled attenuation parameter(CAP),ultrasound-derived fat fraction(UDFF)and shear wave velocity(SWV),as well as blurred liver contour were all independent indicators for higher likelihood of MAFLD(all P＜0.05).The AUC and Brier score of XGBoost model in training set was 0.991 and 0.006,in test set was 0.973 and 0.069,respectively,both higher than those of other models,and decision curve analysis(DCA)indicated that XGBoost model had high net benefit.Conclusion ML models based on QUS and clinical indexes,especially XGBoost model had high efficacy for predicting MAFLD.

Objective To investigate the clinical diagnostic value of plasma RAS association domain family 1A(RASSF1A)gene methylation combined with tumor marker detection in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods A total of 98 NSCLC patients admitted to Qinhuangdao First Hospital from June 2023 to March 2024 were selected as the NSCLC group,and 95 patients who under-went pulmonary examinations during the same period but were not diagnosed with NSCLC were selected as the disease control group.Their general clinical data were collected.The correlations among plasma RASSF1A gene methylation,tumor markers,and clinicopatho-logical features were analyzed.The effects of RASSF1A gene methylation and tumor markers on the diagnosis of NSCLC were analyzed by the multivariate Logistic regression.A predictive model was constructed,and its effectiveness was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve and goodness of fit test.Results There were significant differences(P＜0.05)in smoking history,neu-ron specific enolase(NSE),carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1),and RASSF1A methylation levels between the NSCLC group and non-NSCLC group.There were also significant differences(P＜0.05)in RASSF1A methylation levels,NSE,CEA,and CYFR21-1 levels among NSCLC patients with different clinical characteristics such as tumor diam-eter,differentiation degree,and growth type.The results of multivariate Logistic analysis showed that RASSF1A methylation levels(OR=1.071,95％CI:1.042-1.100),NSE(OR=1.168,95％CI:1.132-1.204),CEA(OR=1.154,95％CI:1.121-1.187),and CYFR21-1(OR=1.089,95％CI:1.023-1.195)were all independent risk factors for the diagnosis of NSCLC.A model predicting the occurrence of NSCLC was constructed using the principal component analysis(PCA)and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA),and the ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the ROC curve(AUCROC),sensitivity,and specificity of the prediction model for the RASSF1A methylation level combined with NSE,CEA,and CYFR21-1 were 0.922(95％CI:0.896-0.948),0.897,and 0.851,respectively,which were higher than those of the RASSF1A methylation level,NSE,CEA,and CYFR21-1 alone.Conclusion The prediction model of plasma RASSF1A gene methylation level combined with tumor markers has high diagnostic value for NSCLC and can be used for the clinical diagnosis of NSCLC.

Objective:To explore differences in the clinical and pathological features and postoperative survival after radical resection of biliary tract cancer in different locations such as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,distal cholangiocarcinoma,and gallbladder cancer.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. The clinical and pathological data of 4 852 patients with biliary tract cancer admitted to the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi ′an Jiaotong University from January 2013 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 2 110(43.49%%) patients were male and 2 742(56.51%) patients were female,aged from 26 to 88 years with age of (61.3±10.8) years. Observation indicators: (1) The distribution,diagnosis and treatment of patients with biliary tract cancer; (2) Comparison of clinical and pathological features of patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection; (3) Survival analysis of patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection; (4) Analysis of effect on adjuvant therapy for patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection. One-way analysis of variance,Kruskal-Wallis H test and χ 2 test were used for among-group comparisons,respectively. Survival univariate analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. Results:Among the 4 852 patients with biliary tract cancer,there were 2 303 cases (47.46%) of gallbladder cancer,952 cases (19.62%) of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,892 cases (18.38%) of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,and 705 cases(14.53%) of distal cholangiocarcinoma. From the perspective of the year of diagnosis and treatment,the overall number of patients diagnosed and treated for biliary tract cancer has shown an upward trend. From the perspective of diagnosis and treatment,the curative-intent resection rate was 33.37%(1 619/4 852),and the curative-intent resection rate of distal cholangiocarcinoma was higher than that of other biliary tract cancer ( χ2=23.897, P<0.01). Univariate analysis showed that there were statistical differences in gender,age,bile duct stones,total bilirubin at admission,carcinoembryonic antigen,CA19-9,CA125,the degree of pathological differentiation,vascular invasion,microvascular invasion,perineural invasion,surgical margins,pT staging,and pN staging among patients for biliary tract cancer in different locations (all P<0.05). Survival comparison analysis showed that recurrence-free survival and overall survival of patients with gallbladder cancer after curative-intent resection were significantly better than those of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,and distal cholangiocarcinoma ( χ 2=87.780,83.717,both P<0.01). Comparing the postoperative prognosis of patients with biliary tract cancer between the two periods of 2013 to 2017 and 2018 to 2022, the results showed that recurrence-free survival and overall survival of patients with biliary tract cancer from 2018 to 2022 were significantly better than those from 2013 to 2017 ( χ 2=31.202,25.615, both P<0.01),and the proportion of early recurrence and short-term death after curative-intent resection was significantly reduced ( χ 2=21.588,9.623, both P<0.01),with gallbladder cancer being the most significant ( P<0.01). Postoperative adjuvant therapy for patients with biliary tract cancer can effectively prolong recurrence-free survival and overall survival ( χ 2=5.033,11.273,both P<0.05). Conclusions:Gallbladder cancer remains the most common biliary tract cancer with a relatively favorable prognosis after radical resection. There are significant differences in the clinical and pathological features of biliary tract cancer in different locations,and patients with adjuvant therapy effectively improving prognosis.

Hypertension (HT) can induce aortic dissection (AD) by increasing the tension of the aortic wall and promoting tissue degradation, and continuous HT may increase the risk of aortic-related death. It is a significant factor in poor prognosis for AD and the most important controllable factor. Research has shown that blood pressure management after AD can reduce the incidence rate and mortality of AD, so controlling HT is an important goal and means of AD treatment. This article reviews the research progress on the impact of AD on blood pressure, the significance and methods of blood pressure management after AD, with the hope of providing reference for the treatment of AD patients and benefiting them.